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Àngels López

IBEC project among 44 funded by AXA

Cérémonie annuelle du Fonds Axa pour la recherche.The AXA Research Fund, the international scientific philanthropy initiative of global insurer AXA, officially announced last week that it will devote €15.6m in 2016 to 44 new research projects with leading academic institutions in 16 countries.

IBEC’s two-year project, “Novel approaches for Pandemic Virus Targeting Using Adaptive Polymers”, is led by new junior group leader Lorenzo Albertazzi and aims to harness nanotechnology to introduce a whole new class of tools to fight viruses. This and the 43 other new projects were announced last Friday at an event in Paris, bringing together AXA executives and experts, members of the AXA Research Fund scientific community and academic partners, and other stakeholders.

Tècnic Comptable

supportApplication Deadline: 27/04/2016
Ref: TC-AG

La Unitat de Finances de l’Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya (IBEC) requereix incorporar un/-a Tècnic Comptable.

Human Resources Technician

supportApplication Deadline: 30/04/2016
Ref: HR-CM

The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) is looking for an experienced HR Technician to join our HR team. The successful candidate will report to the Head of Human Resources.

IBEC International PhD Programme interviews underway

PhD Programme interviewsToday and tomorrow, 22 hopeful candidates are visiting IBEC for their interviews for IBEC´s International PhD Programme positions.

The candidates, who represent 12 countries, have been selected from the more than 150 applicants who applied for the programme’s nine positions, which are supported by Severo Ochoa and La Caixa. It’s the first ever time that IBEC has held mass interviews of this type, as the PhD programme is new for this year and forms part of the institute’s Strategy for 2014-2017 in the area of attracting the best talent from all over the world via a transparent, open and international selection process.

How tissue stiffness activates cancer

pere ncb new imageResearchers at IBEC have revealed how tissue rigidity activates cancer, new knowledge that could potentially lead to new strategies to impair or even halt the growth of tumours.

The scientists and their collaborators at the Georgia Institute of Technology, publishing in and on the cover of Nature Cell Biology, have identified the mechanism by which tissue stiffness activates a protein called YAP, a major oncogene. This discovery is the result of many years’ work spent studying the forces that cells apply to their surrounding tissue – forces which determine how cells proliferate, differentiate, and move, which in turn sheds light on how development, tumorigenesis or wound healing are regulated. The discovery belongs to a family of patents in place.

Cystic fibrosis – the fight continues

fq visitRepresentatives from the Associació Catalana de Fibrosi Quística (ACFQ) came to IBEC on 22nd March to meet researchers and discuss the focus of their continuing support of investigation into the disease.

The visit took place in the framework of some exploratory groundwork in preparation for a potential new initiative involving the Obra Social “La Caixa” to focus on support for rare disorders.

Eduard Torrent’s Bacterial Infections: Antimicrobial Therapies group’s projects researching the enzyme that promotes the growth of the bacteria linked to this disease, and possible therapeutic targets, has been supported by the ACFQ since 2009.

IBEC presents future medicine at the 14th Fira Recerca en Directe

recendirThis week, IBEC will once again be taking part in the annual Recerca en Directe science fair, which is co-organised by the PCB and the Obra Social ”la Caixa” which aims to bring science to the public, enable dialogue between society and researchers, and encourage young people to consider science as a career.

The event, which is in its 14th year and is supported by Barcelona City Council and the University of Barcelona, will take place in CosmoCaixa Barcelona from Wednesday to Saturday.